LinkedIn or Social Media Connection Requests
Networking plays a huge part in the recruiting world. Many of us are using social platforms as an effective way to find new connections and recruitment opportunities.
People often get connection requests from different parties. It is natural to accept to connect if you know them personally and receive an individual message to remind you of the encounter.
More often than not, you receive offers from people that you do not know but:
1. Share a connection with you.
2. Is directly interested in your profile.
3. Is interested in an article that you wrote.
4. Want to introduce you to a job offer.
5. Wish to build a relationship with you for future purposes. (e.g. career building)
Or other motives that you would not be aware of at the time you receive a random request.
These people mostly tend to be active on social media, which helps you reach and receive more information about recent updates. They can also draw about some recruitment opportunities or lead you to the next useful connection.
However, in some cases these requests are not being followed up, even when you take the initiative to approach the one who sent the request. This will be quite puzzling and frustrating at times. It is then up to you to decide whether you would accept this invitation by judging from their profile.
Even worse, sometimes you see irrelevant messages such as spam mails rolling in from pretentious accounts that ask you to transfer money. Or you have to read through canned job offers from recruiters that are sometimes too different from the industries or job roles that you have experience in.
Hence, for those who would like to form meaningful connections or use LinkedIn as a recruitment tool, here are some guidelines to avoid repeating mistakes:
* DO NOT send blank connection requests, especially to those who do not know you.
* DO remember to send a personalised message even when you are using the mobile app (by clicking on the three dots next to the profile picture).
* DO explain why you think someone is suitable for a specific job when you are trying to recruit a talent (e.g. demonstrate which skills or experience they have is a good fit for the new job or company).
* DO respond promptly (if not ASAP), if someone asks why you would like to connect, even as a matter of respect. This will ensure they feel valued and not neglected to leave a good first impression at least.
* DO consider the reason behind sending your request and explain your motives upfront to make it obvious for the person you are connecting with.
* DO NOT connect with someone if you cannot think of a good reason they should connect with you. It can be seen as a nuisance for the talent if they cannot see the point of you contacting them. (This applies to networking in general anyway)
In conclusion, although it is a time consuming task, we have to bear in mind to be sincere and make sure to put a genuine message to show the effort when approaching someone on LinkedIn or other social media.
You don’t want to upset anyone or put your time to waste!
Note: This article has been written based on reading and summarising the content in http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/connection-requests-linkedin/ [Credits to the author: Amy Volas (founder and “Chieftain” of Avenue Talent Partners).] Variations in the content of the summary and the original writing may exist due to the interpretation of the summary writer.